Car unloader



Mar. 2o, 1923.

J. FRENCH CAR UNLOADER FlledOct. 19, 191B 2 sheets-sheets 1 d; WQ

Mar. 20, 1923. y 1,448,736

V J. c. FRENCH GAR UNLOADER Filed Oct. 19, 191B 2 sheets-sheet 2 UjZzEssc-'sx v MQKM Patented Mar. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES JAMES C. FRENCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR,

BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

F. C. AUSTIN MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPGRATION 0F ILLINOIS.

CAR UNLOADER.

Application tiled October 19, 1918. Serial No. 258,375.

To a?? whomy it may com/cm Be it known that l, JAMES C. citizen of the United States ot' iinierica, and a resident oi' Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car Unloaders, of wh ich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for unloading materials from cars, or for similar purl'ioses, such as the one shown in my prior application, No. 1901.248, tiled September T, iol?.

The object olf the improvements constituting the invention herein shown and described is to prorido a novel construction and an arrangement whereby the machine shown in said prior application may be operated without interruption, and in such a manner that the discharge therefrom Willbe continuous, and whereby the bucket that takes the materials out ot the car may work uninterruptcdly and Without Waiting vlor the materials to be discharged from the hopper, as will more fully appear.

To these and other useful ends the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed, and shown in the accom panying' drawings, in which- Fiat l is an end elevation ol' a car unloadcr involving' the principles ot the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan ot` said machine.

As thus illustrated, the invention couiprises a suitable body traine l mounted on traction devices 2 of any suitable character, and provided with an upright frame comprising the xed end members 3 and the longitudinally disposed shaft or arbor 4 mounted in the upper ends thereof. A crane arm 5 of suitable character is supported on said shaft or arbor, so that it swings about a horizontal and longitudinally disposed axis. A clam shell bucket 6 is suitably supported on said crane arm, and is adapted to be lowered into the car FRENCH, a`

i to receive a. load in a manner that will be readily understood. The crane arm has a pair of gears 8 1which are rigid therewith, and which are supported by the shaft or arbor 4, these gears being disposed inside of the fixed frame members 3 previously mentioned. The gears 8 are gear connected in any suitable or desired manner with the engine 9 which is supported on the body frame, and it will be understood that the operation of the crane arm, and also of the cables l() of the bucket, is completely under the control ot' the operator or attendant, through the medium, for example, 0f hand levers 1l having suitable connections extending therefrom to the various elementsto be controlled. This is all lully described in said prior application.

The hopper l2 is also mounted on said shalt or arbor 4, and a belt conveyer i3 extends laterally from under said hopper, being; also suitably supported on said shaft or arbor, as well as by bra-:es ll which extend downwardly to the body tramo. The hopper E2 has an opening l5 at its' outer side, in its inclined bottom wall, so that the materials when discharged into the hopper will then pass through the hopper and onto the coni'cyer ll, in a manner that will be readily understood. Said conveyor is driven by :i drivingconnection 16, which ma be a ,ii-oclmt chain or belt, and which is suitably connected with the engine 9 previously mentioned. Thus the crane arm 5 is arranged to extend laterally from one side ot the car unloader thus constructed, in order to lower the bucket into the car 7', While the eouveyer l is arranged to extend laterally from the opposite side ofthe machine, there by to discharge the materials onto the around, or into a Wagon or other vehicle, at soule distance troni the hopper l2 which iornis the intermediate means of conmctiou between the bucket and the conveyer.

ln operation, the bucket is lowered into the car to receive a load, and is then hoisted and swung to a position directly over the hopper l2, and is there operated to discharge its load into the hopper. The materials are discharged by the hopper onto the belt o the convcyer lil, and are by the latter then discharged at a distance from the side. of the machine. In this way, the bucket can Work nninterruptedly without Waiting for the inatcrials to be discharged fronrthe hopper, inasmuch as the latter isalivays in a position to receire a load from the bucket. The bucket is loaded andr discharged and swung back and forth between the car and the hopper Without regard to the discharging; of the materials at the other side, and at the sainer time a. constant or continuousdischarge is effected 'bythe conrir- 13, as this dis charge is not interrupted by the intermittent character of the shifting of the materials trom the car to the hopper. In other words, it the bucket is worked fast cnous-h to keep the hopper more or less full, the discharge from the outer end ol' the conveyor 5 will be continuous and uninterrupted. .Xt

the saine time the arrangement has the advantage, as stated, that the bucket o can be kept at work. and an be swung back and forth between the car and the hopper as l rapidl)Y as the operator or attendant is capable of handling and controllingF the machinery. 'for the hopper is always in position to receive a load from the bucket.

From the foregoing it will be seen that l the load is hoisted at one side ol the nur chine, caused to travel across the machine to a position over the axis of the crane arm. and then travels Yl'roin the hopper outwardly1 to the outer end oi' the eonveyer, whereby each load crosses the machine lroin one side thereof to the other.y first by bucket and then b v conveyer. in the manner explained. The

member which forms the axis of the orarie arm serves also as the supporting axis for the inner end of the ronreyer. and also supports the hopper. and each load is swung to a point over this axis member bel'ore it. is discharged into the hopper and onto the receiving end of the conrelver.

"hat l claim as my invention is l. ln a. oar unloader. a body trame. a` crane arm mounted on said bod),F to swing; about a horizontal airisj mechanism to operate said arm, a bucket supported on said 21' arm adapted to he lowered into a car to re eeive a load. a hopper to receive the discharge from the bucket. a conveyer to carryr away the discharge from said hopper. and a` longitudinal member which forms said axis 40 andY upon which said hopper and conreyer are supported. said hopper being stationary and disposed over said axis. and the crane arm and the convcyer projectinst from opposite sides of the body frame.

2. ln a rar unloader. a bodyv raine, a crane arm mounted on said body to swing about a horizont-al artis` mechanism to op crate said arm, a bucket supported on said .arm adapted to be lowered into a ear to re ceive a load, a hopper to receive the discharge from the bucket, and a conveyor to carry awa)v the discharge. from said hopper,

said mechanism comprising pair ot' gears rigidly connected to said crane armf and means to oseillate said gears about said axis.

said hopper and the conveyor being disposed between said gears.

f5. ln. an unloading machine, the combina-- tion ot' a crane arm mounted to swing about Gli a. horizontal axis. a bucket suspended from said arm, adapted to take up a load at one side of the machine and to swing back with its load to a` position over said body frame.

and means including a conveyer arranged to receive the discharge trein the bucket and projecting from the other side ol said machine, so that the load tra i'els across the mac iine from one side thereof to the other.y alsove :said axis, iiiht lili bucket and then by wwnv'eycr, and means to operate said crane :irri about `said axis.

l. lu :i car unloader.y a` body frame.. a crane arm mounted on said boil)r to swing about a horizontal axis, mechanism to opY- crate said :i1-1n. a bucket supported on said arm.y adapted to l-e lowered into :i car to rereire a load.y a hopper to receire the discharge Jfrom the laicket. a conveyor to carry away the discharge from said hoi'iper, and a lou;'itiulin:i| nlcinbcr which forros said axis und upon which said hopper and conveyor are supported. said hopper being;` stationary and disposed over said axis.y and the crane arm and the convejrer projecting troni opposite sidrs of [he bolli' i'rainc.

in a car unloading' n'iachinc. the coinH bination of' a body trame. a crane arm. a member supported on sifd bod)` 'traine to 'orm a lon \;itu lin:il axis tor said crane arm. a hoisting bucket carried by said crane arm, so that u load can he taken up at one side ot the machine and carried over said axis. a transverse eonvcycr haring' its receiving ruil supported on said axis member and its outer cud extending' laterallyv at the other side ot said machine. and means to main- Iau the outer cud ot the conveyor iu suitably elevated position.

(S. structure as speciied in claim Fn in miubination ith a hopper supported on said axis member to ensure the proper transfer ot the load 'from this bucket to said con's'elver. T. l structure es specified in claim said crane arm havinif lower side portions disposed at opposite sides oi said conveyor, in combination with means on said axis meinbor to operate said crane arm.

Q. Vln :i car nnloader. the combination of :i crane arm. means carried thereon for removing the contents ot a rar. a hopper into which said contents are deposited and from which theyY may be continuouslydischarged,a. con reyorextending trom tbehopper to a point of discharge at a` distance from the machine and ou the side thereot` opposite the erano arm. and a member forming a horizontal axis about which said crane arm is adapted lo swing to a position above the hopper whereby the material majv be delivered from one side of said axis member to said hopper und continuously therefrom by said conveycr to s point at. the other side of said member.

Signed.

JAMES C. FRENCH. 

